Explosive charge.



No. 726,901. PATENTED MAY 5, 1903.

L. MTHMABHW.` EXPLOSIVB GHARGL APPLICATION FILED MAY 27, 1899. No MODEL.

3 SHEETS-SHEET L No. 726,901. PATENTE@ MAY 5,1903..

^ L. GA'IHMANN.v

EXPLOSIVE CHARGE.

' APPLICATION FILED MAY 27, 1899.

3 SHEETS--SHBET 2..

No. 726,901. PATENTED MAY 5, 1903.

L. GATHMANN. EXPLO'SIVE CHARGE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2v, 199e, No MODEL. s SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITE Sfr-Ares Patented May '5, '1.903.

lLOUIS GATIIMANN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO GEORGE WHITMANMOMULLEN, OF IPICTCN, CANADA.

ExPLosivE CHARGE.'

SPECIFICATION forming para of Letters Patent No. 726,901, dated May 5,1903.

Auplication filed May 27,1899. Serial No. 718,518.. (No specimens.)

Be itknown that I, LOUIS GATHMANN, acitizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the State of Illinois, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Explosive Charges; and I do hereby declarothe following to be a full, lclear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to ro make and use the same.

This invention relates to explosive charges forpropelling projectilesfrom gu ns and simi# lar weapons, and is particularly designed forexplosive charges made from colloidal explosive compounds, such asnitrocellulose orguncotton alone or combined, and generally of colloidalsmokeless explosives, although the same may be applied to otherexplosives, such as ordinary gunpowder, provided they may zo be obtainedin such a condition as to retain the shapes imparted to them aftermolding.

The objects of this invention are to obtain a propelling charge whichwhen fired will burn and be consumed at a uniformly-increasing ratethroughout its entire ina-ss, and

thereby generate gases in a uniformly-increasing quantity, so as togenerate a uniformly-increasing accelerating force upon the projectileand to obviate all danger of a sudden undue increase of pressure, whichwould injuriously affect the gun.

A further object ot' this invention is to produce a propelling chargewhose rate of conibustion can be determined with reasonable certaintyandaccuracy lmforehaud and which will thus furnish su iii-sieur data tocorrectly calculate the velocity and trajectory of the projectile to befired such charge. As will be readily understood, this is a matter ofthe 4o utmost importance in gunuery.

Itis the object of this invention, moreover, to effect the above resultsin a manner con-l sistentivih cheapness and ecouoiuyol manufacture.

It has heretofore heen proposed to obviate the danger of sudden .shocksupon the pro;

f jectile and the inner walls of the gun or to avoid a decreasingv eruneven rate or" gas gen-- eration by forming smokeless or other pow- 5oders into sticks or peliets, which were profvided with longitudinalperforations. These perforated pellets or sticks were either'i`ntroduced into the charge-chamber of the gun in the shape of shortsticks or grains,

or a number of long longitudinally-perforated sticks were assembled inthe form of cylindrical bundles or fagots held together by a suitableWrapper or envelop of silk` the whole forming a propelling cartridge orbag about the size of the charge-chamber 6o ot the gun. Both of theseforms of charges are unsatisfactory and will not result'n an evenburning of the explosive throughout its entire body and in an unimpededpassageof the dames through the perforations or vents in the pellets orsticks, for the reason that if these pellets are made the full length ofthe charge the generation of gases after ignition proceeds with suchrapidity that, they cannot escape at the end openings of the 7ocartridge or the charge suiciently fast to prevent sudden interiorpressures or shocks and consequent fracture of the pellets or sticksinto numerous small fragments, .Whereby an enormously-increased surfaceofthe explosive is `suddenly presented to the flame, which mustnecessarily result in an enormous increase of pressure. If the pelletsare malle shorter than the full length of the charge, their openings orvents cannot in practice be 8o made to register, and hence theoccurrence of sudden fracturing-shocks Will-be enhanced to a stillgreater extent. In both cases the sudden increase of pressure Will ,no tbe distributed throughout the entire extent of the chamber, but willgenerally be very unevenly distributed and largely concentrated at onlya portion of the charge-chamber, thus still further increasing theinjurious elect of the explosive. y

In all known cliaf'ges the flames cannot come into contact with theexterior of the charge unless the same does not completely lill out thecharge-chamber. If the same does not completely fill out the bore ofthechargechamber, its mass will `be concentrated at a point below thecenter of the bore, and hence an unequal pressure will be distributedthroughoutthe saine, which of course s'objectionable' Furthermore, allthe perforated me or fecessed Isin'okeless-pnivder chargeswith which Iam acqilainte `are insuiirciently late the velocity and trajectory of aprojectile vented-that is to say, the recesses are so formed andarranged that the gases of explosion generated cannot escape suicientlyfast from the perforations orrecesses to prevent their being dam med up,thus fracturing the charge into numerous fragments, and

'thereby suddenly increasing the combustionfired with such powder.

Myinvention has been designed to remedy the above objections and torealize the objects set forth, and a propelling charge or cartridgeembodying the said invention is so constructed that it will fill out orsubstantially' fit in the bore of the charge-chamber, while at the sametime it permitsthe practically simultaneous passage of the flames ofignition and combustion to all parts of the charge-to the parts remotefrom the vignition-point as well as those near the same-the damesYpassing around the entire outer surface and through the mass of the'charge and preferably, also, thropgh the center of the same, the massof the charge being so arranged, apertured, and'recessed that as thecombustion proceeds continuously and uniformly increasing surfaces arepresented tothe action pfthe flames. Thus there results a uniform andcontinuous increase in the evolution of propulsive gases and aconsequent continual uniform increase of the pressure which urges theprojectile toward androut from the muzzle of the gun. Moreover, by myinvention the pressure produced by the development of the gases israpidly and uniformly distributed on the Val rions parts of the charge,so tha't there will be no tendency to fracture the. charge, as would bethe case if one portion thereof were submitted to substantially agreater pressure than another.

Y* In the preferable construction of propelling charges embodying thisinvention the same consists of a ycentral core, from which radiate aseries of arms extending the entire length of the chamber, the outersurfaces of said arms forming practically a portion of a cylinderconcentric with the inner cor'e. The

`central core is preferably provided with a central passage fortll'liames, although in some cases this central, passage may be omitted.Between the above longitudinal radial arms are arranged transverse .orsectoral spaces which permit the passage of the flames ,along the entirelateral surfaces of these radial arms of the explosive charge. 'lofurtherincrease the fiameimpinged surfaces, these radial arms arehoneycombed with numerous transverse passages, which permit the dames tolpass through the arms at a sulliciently great number of points, thesepassages preferably having daring orifices, so as to obviate anyliability of imnededeirculation of the flames and consequent fracture ofthe charge. Itis to be noted, moreover, that these transverse passagesare preferably, although not necessarily, of a hexagonal shape, and.that the walls of the central passage (in cases where the same isemployed) are preferably made` parallel to the sides of the hexagonaltransverse concentric passages in the radial alims,

and that the outer surfaces of said arms are also arranged substantiallyparallel to the sides of said hexagonal passages.l The transversepassages are, moreover, so located with relation to eachother and to the`outer surfaces of the radial arms and the walls of the central passageof the charge that asthe surfaces of the transverse passages Y are consumed their advancing exposed surfaces meet each other and also the outeradvancing combustion-surfaces of the radial arms and in many cases alsothose of the central opening at intermediate points in such away thatwhen they meet all of the mass of the radial arms of the charge and allor the greater portion of the central core willhave been consumed, thusleavingno residues or only a very small residue of uncousumed explosiveof a vastlydecreased surface, thus eliminating the objectionable featureof a sudden decrease in the propulsive acceleration.

A charge having the arrangement and cele lular structure above set forthmay ofcourse be made in various ways; but it is preferably made from aseries of thin disks having the shape of the cross-section of thecartridge and provided with transverse recesses in their radial arms',each recess forming either a portion or the whole of the transverseflame-passages in the radial arms of the'cartridge. These star-shapeddisks, which may be formed by molding or stamping the explosive in anysuitable manner, are assembled or piled .one upon the other in asufficient number to form a complete cartridge, the radial arms of allthe disks being preferably in register and the recesses forming thevents or transverse flame-passages in the cartridge. Any suitablecement, adhesiveor solvent, of the explosive' material of the cartridgewhich will not interfere with the ready combustion of the explosive andleave objectionable residue may be employed to unite the disks into asingle cartridge.

vIn the accompanying drawings l have illustrated a propelling orexplosive charge embodying what l .consider the best form ofcarrying outmy invention.

In the drawings, Figure lrepresents substantially a full-size faceviewof one of the star-shaped disks of explosive material forming part ofsuch charge designed .for asixinchl gun; Fig. 2, a longitudinal centralsection along line 2 2, Fig'. 1, of a series of such disks piled oneupon the other and forming acompleto charge or a portion of suchcomplete charge; Fig. 3, an isometric view df a complete ,charge on asomewhat-reduced scale; Fig. 4, a longitudinal central section IOO ofthe breech portion of a piece of ordnance with such charge in 'operativeposition, also on a reduced scale; Fig. 5, a face view of a disk ofexplosive material embodying a some What-modified form of my invention;Fig. G, a longitudinal -central section of a pair of such disksassembled and united, and Fig. 7 a side elevation of charge under myinvention made up of sections; Fig. 8, an isometric view of anothermodified form of charge under my invention.

Throughout the drawings the same charactersof reference designate thesame parts.

Referring first to Figs. l to 4, it will be noted that the charge orcartridge A is substantially of the form of a cylindersomewhat taperednear its forward portion A' and provided with a series of openlongitudinal channels a, extending unobstructed its entire length, andalso provided with a'central channel or boreb, also extendingunobstructed the entire length of the cartridge. This arrangement ofchannels is effected by making the charge or cartridge consist of acentral longitudinal core B, within which is arranged the central boreb, and from which core extend, preferably, radial arms or ribs O, alsoextending the entire-length of the charge and leaving between themsubstantiallytriangular orlsectoral prismatic and preferably equallongitudinal flame passages or channels a, above referred to, Whose thecore B and which are open at the periphery of the cartridge. Theseflame-passages extend in the general direction of the length of the unitor charge and are open to the exteriorof the same, so that the pressuredeveloped by their respective burning surfaces may be substantiallyequalized and distributed not only throughout the unit or charge, butalso upon the exteriorl of the same andin the charge-chamber.

The radial arms or ribs C are riddled or honeycombed by series ofperforations or vents d, which pierce the same transversely at numerouspoints, as' shown, and thereby place the dame-passages in communicationWitheach other,so as to insurethe rapid equalization of pressureupon thevarious parts. The preferable'shape and their relative location -withrespect to each'otherand periphery of will havebeen entirely thecartridge, as well'as the walls of the central core `B, are such that asthe charge or cartridge is being consumed their constantly `andgradually increasing burning surfaces will meet each other, as wcllasthe advancing surfaces of the peripheries. C' of the arms C, along lineswhere the material of the charge i consumed, thus leaving no portion ofthe material for subsequent combustion on surfaces which suddenlydecrease ln area, giving rise to tions in the pressure or be'injur-iousand which would render it impossible to calculate the propulsive effectof the charge. It; isalso advisable in many cases to arrange the innercore in such a'manapexes abut againstsudden pulsa. shocks, which would'ner with relation to the vents d that the advancing anduniformly-increasing burning surfaces of the central bore will meet theadvancing burning surfaces of said vents along lines or surfaces wherethe material of the charge will be completely consu med,although in some cases it may be desirable to leave a\ portion of the material nearthe core unconsumed just as the projectile emerges from the mouth of thegun,- the decrease of the acceleration of pressure at this'moment beingof advantage.

As shown in Figs. l and Z5, the transverse vents CZ are preferably madefiar/ing from the middle port-ions d outward, their diameters beinggreatest at their orifices cl2. This arrangement is for the purpose ofavoiding any possible stowing up or accumulation of gases .of combustionas they'are generated inthe vents and of facilitating a .perfect escapeand circulation of these gases and avoiding fracture of the charge. Thisform of the vents is desirable in some cases,governed by the particularnature of the explosive cmployed, the particular construction of thecharge, and the gun and projectile employed. In other cases, however,this particular form of vents ol may be dispensed with.

To eect the uniformly-progressing combustion to the point of completeconsumption, many arrangements of the size and configuration andlocation of the vents d and varions parts of the charge may be adopted,governed in great measure by the material and disposition of thematerial employed; but preferably I make the shape in cross-section ofthe vents d and the contour of the walls of the central bore b and ofthe outer periphery of the radial arms or ribs C as follows, particularreference being had to Figs. 2 and 4:

The vents or perforations d are of equal regular hexagonal cross-sectionthroughout, and one or a number of substantially parallei vertical rowsof such perforations are pro* vided. In the present instance there v arethree substantially parallel vertical rows of such perforations. 'lheseperforations areso arranged that the axis of each perforation of one rowlies substantially on a horizontal plane midway between theperforar-ions of the adjacent row or rows. Moreover, the sides of eachhexagonal perforation are all substaptially parallel to the adjacentsides of the adjacent perforations. Thus, for example, taking thehexagonal perforations l, 2", 3, and 4d in Fig. 2, it will 'beIvobserved that tldie sides ll2 and 'la of the inner perforation l sides2L" ,and 3d `of the perforations 2 and 3, respectively, also thatthe'sides 2' and 3"? of lthe perforations 2 and 3 are parallel to eachother, whiletheir distance is equal to the distance between the sidesl2and 2d', or between the sides 1"3 and 3d', and also thatthe sides 2*i4and 3M are parallel to and. equidistant from'thesides 4**2 and 4**3,respectively, of the perfora-| IOO are parallel to and eqnidistant fromthe lwill meet on planes or surfaces midway between the axes of thehexagonal vents, asindicated by the zigzag dotted lines D at the left Yof Fig. 2 and the horizontal full lines Ain said figure. It is alsodesirable that the burning proceeds progressively from the center of thecharge outward, so as to meet the advancing surfaces of the charge at apoint where the material will all be consumed, and for this purpose Iform the central bore b of the charge, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, with aseries of annular triangular corrugations b', which are substantiallyparallel to the respective opposite portions of the hexagonalperforations d. The surface of the bore is therefore made up of a seriesof annulets, whose surfaces as they burn outward are progressively anduniformly increased until they meet the opposite advancing surfaces ofthe inner rows of perforatons in the arms C along surfaces indicated bythe zigzag dotted line D at the left of Fig. 2. Itis, moreover,advantageous in many cases to so shape the outer peripheries of theradial arms C with triangular corrngations the sides C of which are sub-`ifantially parallel to the sides of the adjacent htfagonal perforations(I and at such a distance therefrom that their burning surfaces willmeet the advancing burning surfaces of the correspondingly-hexagonalperforations along surfaces where the material will have been entirelyconsumed, these surfaces being indicated by the zigzag dotted line D2 atthe left of Fig. 2.

The charge shaped and arranged as hereinabove described is preferablymanufactured'by building the same up from a number of disks or layers E,each layer being an exact duplicate of the other in size, shape, andproportions, as shown in Fig. 2, excepting for the forward end of thecharge, Where the layers are somewhat reduced in size to fit the reduceddiameter of the bore of the charge-chamber of the gun. As shown, eachvlayer E consists of a substantially star-shaped disk havinga centralannular portion, which forms part of the central core B, and the radialarms forming part of the radial arms or ribs C of the completed charge;On one side of each of the radial arms of each disk E are provided anumber of semihexagonal recesses or mortises, in the present case two,while on the reverse side of each radial arm is formed a similarsemihexagonal mortise midway between the first mortises.

Of course the number of mortiscs may be increased or diminished withoutdeparting from the present invention. IIoweVer,`"nnl der allcircumstances they are preferably so formed and arranged. that when thelayers are assembled the vents d will be arranged as hereinbeforepointed ont. of the disks E is provided with a central per foration,which is to form part of the bore bj" of thel charge, said perforationbeing annu'-V larly beveled, as shown, to form the triangularcorrugations b' of the said bore.l The outer surfaces of the radial armsare similarly beveled, but ina reverse direction, as shown, so as toproduce the corrugated contour of the outer periphery of the radial armsor ribs C, above set forth. These disks are preferablyvformed by firstcutting out starshaped disks, approximately of the outline shown in Fig.l, from a sheet of any suitable explosive material in a plasticcondition,A such as a colloidal nitro compound consisti' ing mainly ofgun-cotton or of gun-cotton with other wellknown admixtures, which hasbeen rendered gelatinous and Vplastic by the addition of thepropersolvents and kueading or working or in any suitable and well-knownmanner. The disks thus cut out are then molded or compressed betweensuitable vdies, so as to assume the completed shape shown for theseparate disks E in Figs. l, 2, 3, and 4:. The disks or layers E ofexplosive material'so formed are assembled so that two adjoining smallerareas e will alternate with two adjoining larger areas e of the layers,as will be evident. By this arrangement the triangular corrugatedcontour of the central bore b and ,the outer peripheries of the radialarms is produced, and the heX- agonal transverse perforations (Z arecompleted. The layers E are permanently united into a continuoussinglecharge by rst coating their areas e and e with a suitable adhesiveor cement, such as collodion or'solvent, which preferably willV notinterfere with tle ready combustion of the explosive material. By thismeans I obtain a charge orunit consisting of explosive material ofuninterrupted continuity, whereby the combustion `of the charge and thegeneration of gases will progress in a regular manner and without anysudden fluctuation. To the baseof the charge is scou red a suit-ablepriming charge F of any ordinary or suitable quick-burning powder, suchas gunpowder, as will be readily understood. As seen in Fig. 3, thispri'ming charge is preferably made of thesame outlines as the layers E.The said priming vcharge F is also secured tothe base layer of thecartridge A by any suitable adhesive, cement, or solvent. This primingcharge FV may also be secured to the forward end of the cartridge orcharge or to both the base and the forward end, as shown in Fig. 9.

In some cases it will be desirable for convenience of l'oading,"in thecase of great gu ns and consequent zheavy` charges, instead of makingthe charge r cartridge of one piece `to make. it in two, th ee, or moreunits or sections l, 2, and 3, as indicated in Fig. 7, each .70 Theinner core f ing part of the charge.

unit or section being composed of a number of united layers E. Each ofthe sections l, 2, and 3 will constitute a complete charge alone inthose cases where the projectile is to be propelled under reducedpressure, or two of the sections may be employed as a complete charge.

In Fig. 4 I have represented so much of a piece of ordnance of ordinaryconstruction with a charge of explosive material made under my inventionin place as is necessary to illustrate the use of said charge. It willbe noted from this figure that the charge A practically occupies theentire bore of the chargechamber g of the gun G, its base substantiallyresting against the mushroom g of the breechblock g2, so that the fuseor primer, which occupies the vent g3 of the breech-block, will impingeagainst the priming charge F, form- The forwardv part of Ihe charge issomewhat tapering in form, as

. already explained, in order to properly fit into thesomewhat-contracted portion g4 of the charge-chamber at the base of theprojectile H. Vhen the priming charge F is ignited by the primer, thedames therefrom completely envelop the exterior of the charge bypassingin an unimpeded current forward through the peripheral channels a. 'Iheyalso pass forward through the bore b, and finally they penetrate everyportion of the mass of the charge by passing through the vents ortransverse perforations d. The saine ready vcirculation is permitted forthe gases of combustion,` this circulation being further aided by thecorrugated perforations of the radial arms C. The gases of combustionare by virtue of the peculiar construction of the charge evolved .withequal rapidity at all points at the bottom as well as at the top and atthe forward end as w'ell as at the rear end, and as the burning surfacesare progressively increased the accelerating propulsive force isprogressively increased at a substantially uniform rate until the chargehas been consumed.

All danger of fractureof the arms is avoided, first, by the fact thateach radial arm is supported by two opposite exactly-balancedgas--pressures exerted by the gases filling the channels a, and, secondly, bythe peculiar shape of the vents d. A

In many cases the inner bore b or the outer corrugated periphery of theradial arms, or both, may be dispensed with. The latter construction isillustrated in Figs. and 6, where, it will be noted, the layers E of thecharge are represented as composed of solid central cores B, from whichradiate the arms or ribs C, as before. In the present instance thetransverse perforations d are formed of a series of concentric recessesor mortises of a square cross-section, whose walls are not flaringoutwardly, as in the first example. These mortises are in the presentinstance formed on one side only of each layer E, and Ithe layers are so'a sembled and united that the mortised side of each layer will be madeto iinpinge against the nnmortised or continuous side of the adjoininglayer, as indicated in Fig. 6. The outer peripheries of the radial armsare, moreover, not beveled, so that the peripheries of the completedcharge will all form part of the same cylinder. This modified form ofcharge, while perhaps not as effective in many cases as thatfirstdescribed, enables me to secure all the advantages flowing from theexterior open or peripheral channels or passages a in the first place,and, secondly, frdm the transverse vents, which in myjudgment play alsoan important part in providing for a free and unimpeded circulation ofthe gases of ignition and combustion and for a uniform andevenly-distributed progress of the combustion, thus avoiding any dangerof sudden increases in pressure or fracture, which might result in theabsence of these features. In some eases even the transverse vents clmight be omitted, although I consider them important to obtain the besteffects.

The outer surfaces of the arms may in ICO be noted, extend in thegeneral direction of the longer axis of the unit, and hence may be saidto be substantially longitudinal. It will be noted, moreover, that saidflame-passages are open to the exterior of the unit, so that .thepressure developed by their respective burning surfaces may bedistributed ontwardly as well as through the charge mass. The transversevents d may be in any suitable or convenient form, such as shown.

The above are some of the niany'modifications which may be devisedundcrrmyinvention, and it will be readily noted from the abovedescription that a charge or cartridge embodying my said invention issusceptible of many modifications Without departing from :the gistof/the same.

lroadly considered and under one aspect of the invention the sameconsists in a charge of explosive material composed of a number of.united layers of explosive material and under another aspect in a chargeor cartridge having exterior or peripheral Haine-passages and also in auexplosive charge or cartridge having such exterior llame-passages incolubination with transverse perforatious or vents passing through themass of the charge, the above features all being preferably combined IXOto produce the best results. It is to be noted, moreover, that eachunitI or charge of explosive material made in accordance with myinvention is continuousthat is to say,"the continuity of the explosivematerial is u'ninterrnpted-so that there is no danger of suddenfluctuation inthe pressure of the gases developed. This continuity, aswill be understood from the preceding specification, may be obtainedeither by making the unit or charge in layers or parts secured into onecontinuous lmass by an adhesive material which will not interrupt theprogress of the combustion or by making said unit or chargeintegralwthat is to say, by forming it of one piece direct from theplastic material. I do not, therefore, desire to be confined to thespecific details described; but

What I claim, and desireto secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is-` l. A mass or unit of explosive material of uninterruptedcontinuity in the form of a rod or bar, having acentral flame-passageand a plurality of exterior flame-passages, said exterior llamepassagesheilig in communication with each other at a pl urali'ty of points.

2. Acharge of explosive material consisting of a longitudinal inner coreand a series of arms or ribs extending outward vfrom the' same, openHaine-passages being left between said arms and said arms being providedwith transverse passages or vents. e

3. A disk of explosive material for a pro pelling charge consisting of acentral core having a central perforation and provided with radiatingarms provided with recesses on their upper, and lower' surfaces, therecesses on the lower surface alternating with those on the uppersurface.

4. A disk of explosive material for a propelling charge consisting of acentral core having a beveled central perforation and provided withradial arms whose peri pheries are beveled Aoppositely to the centralperforation, said armsv being provided on their upward surfaces withsemihexagonal recesses vand with similar recesses on their lowersurfaces occupying positions intermediate between the recesses on theupper surfaces.

5. A charge of explosive material composed vents flaring outwardly fromtheir middle.

portions.

'7. A charge of explosive material composed of a united series ofsuperimposed layers of said material and consisting of an inner corehaving a longitudinal bore andV radial arms extending from said core,said arms being provided with a series of transverse perfora- `of aunited series of superimposed layers of tions aring outwardly from theirmiddle portion.

of a united series of superimposed layersand 8. A charge of explosivematerial composed i consisting of a central core having a central boreand radial arms extending lfrom lsaid core, said radialv arms beingprovided with hexagonal transverse perforations at the planes of unionof the layers arranged at subl stantially equal distances from eachother.

9. A charge of explosive material composed of a united series ofsuperimposed layers and consisting of a central core having a central`bore and radial arms 'extending from Said core, said radial arms beingprovided with hexagonal transverse perforat-ions at the planes of unionof the layers arranged at substantially equal distances from each other,

the walls of the centralv b ore and outer-periphery of the radial armsbeing triangularly corrugated so as to be substantially parallel to thesides of the hexagonal perforation.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.v

` LOUIS GATHMANN. Witnesses:

M. o. MAs'sIE, F. I-I. ScHo'r'r.

